I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved surgical fastener for wound closure. More particularly the present invention relates to a fastener for closing a trocar incision.
II. Discussion of Background
With laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, the small incision or puncture is made in the patient's body to provide access for a tube or a cannula (sheath) device. Once extended into the patient's body, the cannula allows for insertion of various surgical instruments such as scissors, dissectors, retractors, or biopsy instruments to perform diagnostics and/or surgery. After laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery is performed, the cannula is removed from the abdomen leaving a small incision. Typically the incision is "Y" shaped. The trocar wound may require some attention, e.g., in the form of placing sutures to close the wound.
Devices which close a wound by forming sutures from within a urethra are known. One such device is inserted into the urethra and pivotally deploys needles from which sutures are subsequently pulled through the side walls of the urethra. See, for example, Soviet Patent SU 1093329.
A variety of surgical fastener constructions and materials suitable for their manufacture are known. In addition to metals, they have been fabricated from a variety of non-bioabsorbable and bioabsorbable polymers, for example, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,418,694; 4,476,865; 4,492,232; 4,512,345; 4,527,562; 4,557,263; 4,590,937; 4,620,541; 4,638,804; 4,646,741; and 4,741,337.
It would be desirable to provide a surgical fastener to close non-linear incisions, such as the triangular incisions created by commonly used trocars.